


The Girl In The Snow

by Tht0neGal666



Series: The It, The Girl, The Shadow [1]
Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: 9 and 11 respectively, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cass doesn't have normal human person taste buds, Cass went to gotham much younger, Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, I may contimue this, I'm not sure where Cass learned to take a shower, I'm saying it now Mac n' cheese + hot chocolate is a bad idea, Janet Drake mentioned in passing because I can't help myself, Mute Cassandra Cain, Nonverbal Communication, Pre-Robin Tim Drake, Stalker Tim Drake, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but I'm enacting my right to hand wave it because I want to, fuck you whumptober, like seriously they're like, mute charater, neither does Tim but he likes to pretend he does, rawr, these kids are just crazy, this is honestly the cutest and fluffiest thing I've ever written, yes Cass is older then Tim but neither of them know that so, yes The Girl is Cass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 20:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16374590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tht0neGal666/pseuds/Tht0neGal666
Summary: She got up clumsily and grimaced, then the look of shock renewed itself on her face. She obviously wasn't quite sure what was wrong. She didn't look like she was Gotham. She didn't have that Gotham edge, but she had something similar. She kept eyes on her surroundings and didn't seem to trust him, but she also wasn't making a snide remark or beating him up or anything. Weird. And she was looking at him like she was scanning him or something, like she could tell everything about him at a glance. It was kinda creepy.Or; Tim stumbles into a girl freezing to death and he, a lonely 9 year old, decides to help by himself. It goes very well.





	The Girl In The Snow

**Author's Note:**

> The Girl, The It, The Shadow: Notes that didn't fit in the series description pt. 1:
> 
> Staring:  
> Cassandra Drake as The Girl (and The Shadow)  
> Timothy Drake as The Stalker (and The Bird)  
> Stephanie Brown as The Chick (and The Spoiler)  
> Jason Wayne as The Urchin (and The Robin)  
> Janet Drake as The Woman  
> Bruce Wayne as The Bat  
> Dick Grayson as The Acrobat (and The Hero)  
> Damian Wayne Al Ghul as The Demon (and The Baby)  
> Harper Row as The Punk (and The Gal)  
> Duke Thomas as The Boy (and The Light)  
> The Joker as Dead As Fuck

It was winter in Gotham, and that meant that it was cold. Really, really cold. cold enough that crime rates had dipped, because even in Gotham where most criminals were suicidal anyway, they didn't want to freeze to death. Cold enough that even the street kids started bunching together for warmth, despite not usually trusting each other enough to be within several meters of each other while awake. It was Gotham city, and she showed kindness in odd ways. If she was going to be so devastatingly cold, she was damn well going to give a few of her children the release of hell fire.

Tim Drake liked the cold, though. And he had things to do, things that wouldn't stop just because it was chilly. Crime didn't stop, so Batman and Robin didn't stop, so Tim Drake didn't stop. it was that simple. he tossed on the coat with the best ratio of mobility and warmth- reminded himself to ask his mother for a coat he could traverse the city more easily in for Christmas- and donned mittens, and a scarf, and everything he'd need to keep the cold from killing him. Then he stretched to make sure he'd be able to move properly, grabbed his night backpack, and draped his camera strap over his neck, He was ready to go. He disarmed the security system on his window and left. he climbed- carefully, because it was winter and everything was glacial and slippery- to one of the usual vantage points and camped out, hidden by the shadow of a gargoyle. He snaps a picture as Robin flips over the city, still in the scaly underwear (Tim suspects it might actually be a leotard given Robin's past, but it's funnier to think it's just underwear), but also seeming to use the Robin cape as a blanket, which was weirdly relieving. At least Robin wouldn't freeze to death or anything, probably. Overall, business as usual.

That is, of course, until he is running through an alleyway on his way to a loose fire escape, and suddenly bumps into someone. He can't help the yelp of alarm that escapes him as he falls down. He hadn't even seen the person, where did they come from? He rubbed his head and stood to look for who it was, on alert in case of trouble, only to look down at his feet and see a girl slowly crawling away from him, eyeing him warily and looking rather confused herself. The girl was small, about as small as Tim, (which couldn't be good. He knew he was almost dangerously small for his age. He didn't really mind, it let him sneak around more, but people expected it t bother him, and if they teased him about his height then they wouldn't tease him about things he actually cared about, so whatever), and she was shivering. a lot. Tim had the odd thought that she would vibrate out of her skin or something.

She got up clumsily and grimaced, then the look of shock renewed itself on her face. She obviously wasn't quite sure what was wrong. She didn't look like she was Gotham. She didn't have that Gotham edge, but she had something similar. She kept eyes on her surroundings and didn't seem to trust him, but she also wasn't making a snide remark or beating him up or anything. Weird. And she was looking at him like she was scanning him or something, like she could tell everything about him at a glance. It was kinda creepy.

"Um. Hi?" Tim eventually whispered, clutching his camera and eyeing her cautiously, ready to turn tail and run at the first sign of aggression. She didn't answer him (he didn't think she even heard him), still looking him over. She seemed to find what she was looking for or something, because she nodded and relaxed from her vaguely threatening stance, nearly falling over with the force of a sudden shiver.

he made a startled sound in the back of his throat, reaching out to hold her up. Before he could touch her he felt a sudden pain in his wrist and jerked back in surprise. When he looked up to find her again, The Girl was already nearly hidden in the shadows, only visible because of the shivers that refused to let her stay still and shining blue eyes staring at him in…betrayal? Something along those lines, at least. He rubbed at his wrist and took a deep breath. It wasn't even sprained or broken or anything, just a little twisted. That was fine. This girl, whoever she was, obviously needed his help. He didn't want to think about it, but she wasn't wearing much. She would die, out here in the cold. He put his arms up in a calming (vulnerable, a voice hissed disapprovingly in the back of his head) gesture. He waited until she started to calm down again before very slowly and carefully, sure she could see every move, taking off his jacket and tossing it to her.

She watched him like a hawk, giving the faintest hint of a jump when the jacket landed in front of her. She eyed him carefully before moving almost too quickly for him to follow, slipping into and basically melting in the jacket. Tim smiled, ignoring how cold he was now. He was planning to head home anyway. Hopefully, new girl in tow. He gave her a moment to warm up, then spoke again.

"There's a snack in the pocket." He said, half to tell her and half to see if she could hear him. Her head snapped towards him, frowning slightly as she looked over him again, and she let out a sad/frustrated noise when she didn't find what she was looking for. He said it again and she watched his face this time, but made a similar sound in the end. Frowning, he waved to get her attention, reached where the pocket would be if he was still wearing the jacket, and mimed pulling something out and eating it. She bit her lip, then perked up with what was hopefully understanding, carefully reaching into his pocket and pulling out a granola bar. She tore the wrapper off with her teeth and ate it carefully, watching him. Did she think he would get angry?

She finished, putting the wrapper back where she got it, and beamed at him. He felt a warmth in his chest grow that shouldn't be there, considering how cold he was. He made someone happy! Mind made up for sure, he carefully reached his arm out, walking towards her. She shifted on her feet and seemed to actively fight the instinct to move (either attack or run away he couldn't tell), freezing in place, and he gave her a reassuring smile are he lightly grabbed her hand, giving her a moment to pull away if she wanted.

She didn't move (besides the still present violent shivering) and he pointed down the alley, trying to indicate he wanted to go somewhere. She didn't do much in response, just relaxed again and looked where he pointed as if awaiting a journey. He took a few unsure steps, making sure she was okay with being led away, and then more easy ones as they kept moving. He noticed that she gravitated to the shadows and he happily went along with it, equally at ease in the darkness. Well, perhaps not equally. She moved as if she had been born in the shadows, and if he wasn't holding her hand he was sure he would have lost track of her, even with the tell tale shivering.

They walked for nearly an hour, no words said. The Girl would occasionally pull another granola bar from his jacket. When she ran out she reached into the pocket of the jacket Tim was still wearing and took one from there, watching him carefully as she did so. He smiled again but didn't say anything, so she ate it, and proceeded to munch her way through his granola bar supply. He didn't comment or do anything to convey he was upset, using his idle hand to keep hold of he camera around his neck. The Girl must have noticed, because whenever she went to steal food from his pocket, she was careful not to touch the camera or the strap. At some point, instead of him limply holding her fingers, she started holding his hand, grip shaky but firm. The walk to Drake Manor was nice.

He let go of his camera as he felt for the key, before recalling it was in the jacket he gave The Girl. He looked over to her. She was staring at Drake Manor in awe and possibly confusion, shivering still present but slightly better. He reached at zipped up breast pocket she hadn't even touched (it was clearly too small for a granola bar, after all) and unzipped it, pulling a key from the pocket and unlocking the front door. The Girl flinched at the touch but didn't let go of his hand, grip tightening enough to cut circulation. He couldn't stop a small pained mewl at the grip and she flinched again, yanking her hand out of his and jumping back from him, eyes blown wide with worry and guilt.

He took a deep breath, rubbing his hand carefully to keep up the blood-flow. He opened the door calmly as wide as he could, then lightly grabbed her fingers again and led her inside. She moved hesitantly, clearly debating whether she should let him touch her if she had hurt him or something, but they were inside and he let go of her hand before she had enough time to reach a conclusion. Tim closed the door and locked it, massaging his hand and walking to the kitchen, sitting at the table and sighing.

What was he going to do now? She was still shivering. Drake Manor didn't have much in the way of heat, given how large it is it's almost impossible to keep it air conditioned. Tim couldn't let her on any of the cushioned furniture, she obviously hadn't bathed in a long time; he wasn't sure he'd be able to clean up after her. He bit his lip. He was kinda out of his depth. He wanted to give her a hot bath, but there was some piece of advice he couldn't remember clearly that told him not to do that. He should get her something to eat at least, she was obviously very hungry, and maybe make her some hot chocolate or something? And definitely a blanket. One of the ones that he kept stored under his bed. No one would notice if one of those got dirty, or if they were even used. After she seemed warmer He'd see if he could get her to take a shower or something, and then they'd watch a movie with more blankets and hot chocolate.

He heard a confused-concerned-guilty sound and looked up, posture easing as he was comforted by having a solid plan. His Mother would be proud, and the thought made him smile a little, until it was immediately followed by how angry she'd probably be if she knew he brought a stranger home. But it wasn't like he could just leave her to freeze, right? Right. He could deal with his mother later. Right now, he looked up to The Girl and gave an assuring smile, waving her over to sit down. She sat right next to him, moving with an uncanny silence (she was still kinda creepy, though he wouldn't say anything), staring intently at his left arm- the one she had twisted earlier, and then held on the way over.

He sighed, rotating it and trying not to show any pain. It really wasn't bad. It might hurt a little for a few days, but he'd pulled it worse while following Batman and Robin. It was fine. Somehow, however, she saw right through him, letting out a displeased hiss of air through her teeth- though, whether she was angry at him for trying to play it off or at herself for hurting him in the first place was hard to tell- and gingerly grabbing it. He bit his lip, unsure what to do to make her stop worrying, or whatever this was. He had to make her a meal and some hot chocolate, and he couldn't do that while he was sitting here. He tried to stand up and pull away, but she just looked at him with really sad eyes, and that wasn't fair. He never hung out with kids his age much, much less those younger then him. He'd only ever heard rumors about puppy dog eyes, and had long believed them to be grievously overblown but, looking at The Girl, he might understand. He sighed, steeling himself, and shook his head, slowly pulling his hand back, refusing to look away from her. His mother had been insistent on the importance of eye contact.

"Later." He said slowly, trying to be as expressive as possible; an attempt hindered by his mother's voice hissing in the back of his head. She probably couldn't understand words he thought, but The Girl seemed to be able to understand him anyway somehow, because she glared at him but gave a jerky nod, like she wasn't used to the motion. He smiled, giving a small breath of relief, before going into the walk in pantry. Most of the stuff in there were ingredients for actual meals, but he couldn't make any of those. Instead, he looked right at 'his shelf', stocked with snacks and microwave meals, along with with a few easy meals for the stove that he recent talked the maid into getting him. He could use the stove. He didn't get her issue. Whatever, he talked her down, so she grabbed some easy scooby-doo mac-n-cheese. He grabbed the box and a pot, filling the pot with a bit of water and dumping the character shaped noodles in. He grabbed a step stool and placed it in front of the oven, stepping up to put the pot on the stove and turned the flame on, walking away from it to let it boil.

When he looked away from the pot, surveying the kitchen for the hot-chocolate packets that he Knows the maid tried to hide, he almost jumped at The Girl sitting on the island in the middle of the kitchen, staring at the flame with a morbid curiosity, and maybe a bit of apprehension. He gave her a pleading look not to move, and she seemed to get the message because she stayed sat on the counter.Satisfied, Tim gave another moment of thought to where the maid had put the mix, then dragged the stool over to another counter. Even with the stool he couldn't reach, so he climbed on the counter and grabbed a coffee grounds container on a hunch. He was immediately rewarded when the container was empty of coffee, and instead harbored sugar, mini marshmallows and hot chocolate packets.

He pilled 2 packets of hot chocolate out (he felt he deserved some too honestly) and a handful of marshmallows, smiling to himself as he got out the milk and cups. He stirred the still boiling noodles real quick, then poured milk into each cup, followed by the mixture itself. He mixed both well, then placed them in the microwave. as an after thought, he turned to The Girl and put his hands over his ears, mimicking a flinch, to warn her about the loud noise. She looked a little worried but gave her weird jerky nod again, so he turned the microwave on for a minute. He stirred the macaroni again, then ran to the fridge, pulling out Whip Cream, and the spice cabinet, pulling out cinnamon. He stirred the noodles again and pulled the hot chocolate out while it still had a second left, having no interest in the loud beep that signified it was done. Tim prepared the hot chocolate perfectly- marshmallows, whip cream, cinnamon on top, even twisty straws- and set the mugs to the side, finishing the macaroni and cheese.

He heaped it all into a bowl for his guest, well aware she probably couldn't eat all of it, but he'd just eat the remainder so that was fine. He didn't even try to get her to sit at the table, she was eyeing the Macaroni and Cheese like she'd lunge for it at any moment now. He put it in front of her on the counter with the a soup spoon. He left her to the meal only long enough to retrieve the mugs of hot chocolate. He put them on the island and then heaved himself up as well, legs hanging off the side while he Girl sat criss-crossed in the middle of it, digging into the Mac n Cheese. He pushed one of the mugs closer to her and she gave a happy hum, not even swallowing the bite of mac n' cheese she was eating before she took a sip. He winced, imagining how horrible the combined taste would be, but she didn't seem to mind. Huh. Maybe he should try it sometime.

She stopped eating about half way through the bowl, Hot chocolate mug empty. She was giving a giant smile and rubbing her stomach, and Tim smiled back, cleaning the cups (not putting them in the dishwasher- they might be using those again later) and leading The Girl to his bathroom, waving at the shower and hoping really hard that she knew what a shower was. She mimicked rubbing a bar of soap on her arm and he sighed in relief, nodding. She seemed to think about it for a second before nodding. He gave her a thankful smile and went over to the faucet, turning the water to lukewarm. He tapped the knob that changes the temperature of the water and shook his head, holding it firmly where it was. As cold as she was and as hot as she may want the water to be, he was fairly sure that he had heard somewhere that you shouldn't go from one extreme temperature to another.

She felt the water, nose wrinkling a little, but she nodded, starting to take her clothes off. He gave a distressed squeak and she stopped, looking confused, and he waved for her to wait. Her nose wrinkled more but she shrugged. He sighed in relief, then grabbed the bar of soap he had, repeating the motion she made earlier to show it was body wash. He put it back in place after she nodded and grabbed a blue bottle of 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, mimicking pouring some soap into his hand, putting it in his hair, and then rinsing it out. He got another nod and smiled, leaving the bathroom. She made a questioning sound and he turned back to see her tugging questioningly at the top, asking him if she could take it off now. He huffed half of a laugh and nodded, turning away quickly, though he left the door open. Just in case.

He waled around his bedroom, grabbing a set of soft and warm pajamas for the girl and a fluffy towel, laying them on the sink while she showered. He took the chance to hide his camera with the other pictures and stuff under one of his bed's floorboard. He changed into a similar set of Pajama's and picked out some movies for them to watch, then read a bit until he heard the faucet turn off. Then he closed the book and waited, counting to 180 before he barged in to help. Give her a chance to do it. Before he finished, she waled out, half-heatedly dried off but fully clothed, holding the clothes she came in t her chest. He gave her a bag to put them in, and they walked downstairs, movies in tow. He led her to his lounge room, the one with the most blankets and comfy places to be because it wasn't for show; adult guests weren't usually allowed in here. She dove for a heavy comforter, cocooning herself in record time as he decided to start Annie, setting The Parent Trap aside for later. They were films Mr.Wayne had let him borrow, so he had to watch them. Apparently, Mr.Wayne was a film buff.

He grabbed a more normal patterned fleece blanket, sitting besides The Girl. Before long, she was inching closer to him, and he to her, and they ended up snuggling, asleep before 'Maybe' had even finished playing. Tim's second to last last thought was to remind himself that the maid wasn't coming in until dinner tomorrow. His last thought was an excited, childish whisper about always wanting a little sister as he ran his hands through The Girl's hair.


End file.
